The Challenge of Wealth - Class 10

Parshas Vayishlach

By Dr. Meir Tamari

Economics and business form the subject of all the parshiot from here till
the end of the book of Genesis. Yaakov works as a wage earner for Lavan for
20 years. Yoseph is the C.E.O of Potiphar's establishment and later the
finance minister and vizier of Egypt, in which capacity he buys all the
land and the possessions of the Egyptians in exchange for food. The sons
of Yaakov come down to Egypt to trade for their basic needs. It is fitting
therefore that right at the outset the Torah provides a Jewish perspective
that places economic activity and business transactions in a moral and
ethical framework.

Yaakov takes an oath (Bereishit, 28: 20-21) in which he promises that he
will tithe his income if God will protect him, provide him with food and
clothing and bring him home unharmed. In the blessing of the Cohanim the
order was reversed so that first would come the material blessing and then
the guidance and protection from Heaven. A Chassidic master explained that
one needs Divine protection so that the material blessing should not
pervert one. Yaakov, however, understood that the pursuit of a livelihood,
the struggle for economic security and the lusts for material goods are so
powerful and so pervasive, that they require a prior powerful and deeply
rooted spiritual framework to keep us moral and ethical. Without the
Divine wisdom as protection and guidance, theft, fraud, oppression and even
war and bloodshed grow easily out of the struggle for parnassah.

In search of ever-increasing standards of living to satisfy indefinite and
unlimited wants, our social fabric and personal relationships are in danger
of corruption, deceit and immorality; even family ties and sexual morality
are often destroyed in pursuit of this search. In our prayers for Rosh
Chodesh we pray for a life that has the fear of Heaven and sin and then
once again for a love of Torah and the fear of Heaven. It should be noted
that sandwiched between these two requests for fear of Heaven, there is the
prayer for material prosperity; a rabbinic understanding that ethical and
moral material prosperity requires a double dose fear of G-d.

It is with this fear of G-d that the patriarchs conducted their economic
activity. The maaser that they give should not be understood only as the
giving of 1/10, but rather as a continuing process whereby a tenth of every
income earned is donated to charity, irrespective where it is whether it is
the first earned or the result of a long-term income stream. The sages
explained in the midrash, that the quarrel between the shepherds of Lot and
of Avraham concerned their right to graze flocks on the property of others
in view of the promise of the land made to Avraham. Those of Avraham
pointed out that this promises was only to be fulfilled in 400 years time,
so that morally to graze their flocks now would be theft. It is in keeping
with such morality that Avraham voluntarily refuses to take of the spoils
of war that rightfully belonged to him. To do otherwise would diminish the
understanding that his wealth came from G-d rather than from the generosity
of the king of Sodom. Yitzchak is willing to forgive the Philistines for
the theft of his wells, in keeping with the characterization by Maimonides
(Hilkhot Deot, chapter 5, halakhah 13) of the commerce of the Torah scholar
who is prepared to forego many of his legal rights in favor of
others. Jacob works diligently for Lavan, despite the latter's fraud. He
does so even beyond the legal demands placed on a wage earner. "The female
sheep and goats did not miscarriage [only because of his diligent care of
them] nor did I eat the old rams of your flock's [although this was a right
granted by custom to the shepherd]. Those of the flocks and herds that were
torn by wild animals were replaced by me [even though as a paid bailee he
was not liable to do so" ( Bereishit 31: 38-39). Later when he comes to
Shechem, the rabbis explained the term, 'vayichan'- to encamp, as economic
acts by Yaakov for the benefit of society. "Rav said, 'he introduced a
stable currency', Shmuel said, ' he established markets' [so that they
could enjoy the benefits of a effective distribution system], and R.
Yochanan said, ' he built bath-houses' [so as to improve their health and
pleasure]" (Shabbat,33a). The rabbis have pointed out that all these
actions were taken with regard to idol worshipers who have only minimal
rights since they do not observe the 7 Noachide laws. Their descendants
carried on this tradition as we see in the moral fervor and indignation of
the brothers when they find their coins returned to them or when we see how
careful the text is to tell us that Reuven, although only a child, gathered
the mandrakes from the ownerless fields so has not to be guilty of theft.

Yaakov does not ask for prosperity based on the free market belief that
more is better than less, rather only for bread and clothing that is the
satisfaction of a standard of living that adheres to the concept of enough.
This must not be confused with the sanctification of poverty for which
there is no support in Judaism; all the Patriarchs were wealthy. Rather it
is the understanding that without such a concept of enough, the dangers
inherent in this search for a livelihood and economic security are almost
sure to overcome us. White-collar crime, public sector bribery and
financial scandals, are perpetrated by the entrepreneurial overly
ambitious, the wealthy and the greedy for whom there is never enough. It is
this understanding that has seen this prayer of Yaakov, known as Ish Tam,
the perfect man, repeatedly used in our liturgy : the Yehi Ratzon at taking
out the Torah on Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur and Hoshanah Rabbah; and the
congregational response to the Birkat Cohanim on all the festivals.

All people in modern and ancient times alike, primitive and sophisticated,
religious and secular, Jewish and non-Jewish pray for the satisfaction of
their material wants. However, Yaakov introduces a specifically Jewish
dimension when he uses at the outset of his request the name Hashem the
attribute of mercy, but concludes his vow with Elokim, G-d in His attribute
of Justice. It is easy and comforting to believe in luck or the brachot of
a god, an idol or a human being who will supply all our wants and desires.
It is less comfortable to accept that the same source also demands a
pattern of moral behavior and punishes infringements of those demands.

Yaakov expresses the Jewish understanding that the Divine Source of wealth
requires accountability, it means that the G-d who provides also insists on
justice, both in the earning of wealth and its use, and will punish all
economic injustice. Since Elokim is all-seeing and all-knowing there cannot
be anything hidden from Him. There cannot really be any secret crimes in
our conduct of business or our economic behavior. Since he is unbribable
there is no escape from punishment for economic crimes. Divine mercy and
forgiveness do not apply to such crimes; they require restitution and
appeasement of the injured parties. The injunctions against speaking lashon
harah do not apply to whistle blowing aimed at preventing economic or
physical harm either to individuals or to society. Avraham's reply to
Avimelech, "I know that there is no fear of G-d here" applies more to
economic crimes than to any other because they are primarily carried out in
secret. It is this fear that is the primary and in the last resort, the
only viable protection against immorality in this sphere.